SWEET ALYSSUM GROWING GUIDE Natural Pest Control

Sweet alyssum. This little flower is a powerhouse. It's beautiful, smells amazing, and is one of the best companion plants you can add to your garden to help control pests. I'm Angela from Growing In The Garden in Mesa, Arizona. For more desert gardening tips, like, subscribe, and stick around. Sweet alyssum is a low-growing annual flower that's super easy to plant. These tiny blooms attract beneficial insects and pollinators like crazy. I love adding it to raised beds, containers, and in-ground areas. It grows well just about anywhere. When it grows large like this, you can't miss the smell. It has a wonderful, delicate honey-like fragrance that is sweet without being overpowering. I'm pretty new to roses and had no idea how many aphids they can attract, but I'm used to letting beneficial insects like lacewings and ladybugs handle any aphid problems, so I didn't bother spraying them off with water. Now that I know there will be aphids on my roses in the spring, I plant sweet alyssum all around them. The alyssum has absolutely exploded with growth and the entire area is buzzing with happy insects and bees. The aphids? I've spotted a few, but I'm not worried. They'll be taken care of. I get to sit back and enjoy my roses. Sweet alyssum typically thrives in zones 5 through 9, and in milder climates like zones 9 to 11, it may overwinter and act more like a short-lived perennial. It can handle light frost with little trouble, but it won't survive hard freezes or high heat. In cooler climates, you can start the seeds indoors a few weeks before the last frost, or you can plant seeds outside once the danger of frost is gone. Here in the low desert, plant from October through March. It grows well until it gets hot. Choose a location with plenty of sunlight. Afternoon shade will help it last longer into the summer in hot climates. The most common variety is white, but it also comes in other colors like pink and purple. If you're seeding directly into the garden, sprinkle the seeds on top of the soil. They need light to germinate. If you have rain-expected and cloudy conditions, that's the perfect time to add some seeds. They'll sprout quickly, sometimes just in a few days. Once they're up and growing, thin them out to about 6 to 12 inches apart so they don't overcrowd each other. If you'd rather buy transplants, grab a few small ones at the nursery. They're easy to find. I always end up buying more than I think I need because inevitably I find a spot for them somewhere. Space plants about a foot apart and keep them well watered until they're established. Their small root balls can dry out quickly before they really settle in. Once they get going, you'll see growth pretty quickly. Give them regular water, but be careful not to overwater. They don't like soggy feet. Other than adding compost and worm castings when I plant, I don't feed them throughout the growing season. A quick trim halfway through the season encourages a second flush of flowers, but if it's getting hot, that same trim will stress them out and cause an early death. Many alyssum varieties drop seeds and come back the following season. Let some spent flowers remain if you'd like volunteers next year. Alyssum blooms are tiny, making them irresistible to hoverflies, ladybugs, and parasitic wasps. These insects, and their larvae, also love eating aphids, among other pests. So if you've got aphids on your lettuce or roses, you'll have help. When you spend time in your garden each day, take note of these pest cycles. You'll see the pest and just when you think, okay, I'm going to intervene, pause, and allow the beneficials to help you out. It really does work. Sweet alyssum is easy to grow and wonderful to smell. If you're a fan of natural pest control, you have to grow it. Your vegetables, roses, and the beneficial insects will thank you.